Dear Stop & Shop

This is a letter I sent to Stop & Shop via email...

Dear Stop& Shop Decision Makers:

I love your store (West Hempstead # 2552), really, I do. You’ve given me a (small) selection of soy products- cream cheese, yogurt and milk when I asked. You even have a whole aisle of healthy, natural choices that appeal to my vegetarian organic side. Your produce is fresh and plentiful.

You made shopping easier (and fun!) with the handheld self-checkout device. You’ve even partnered with my daughter’s school for bonus bucks! Very admirable, dear Stop & Shop.

But you confuse me.

Yesterday, I picked up a bottle of your brand “Clear Splash Naturally Flavored Raspberry Blackberry Sparkling Water Beverage.” It was on an end cap- it was a total impulse item. I think to myself – this sounds delicious! It’s sugar free, sodium free, calorie free, caffeine free- everything you would want in a “water beverage,” right? I couldn’t wait to try it.

Whoa. Way too sweet.

Sweet? How can that be? Zero calories, zero fat, it’s water…how can this taste so sweet?

I check the ingredients…carbonated water (ok), citric acid (ok), potassium citrate (ok), aspartame (o…what?)

Aspartame? In sparkling water? Are you kidding? I’m drinking DIET WATER?

What are you thinking, dear Decision Makers? Putting this poison into a “water beverage” to sweeten it up? I wanted WATER. With a little FLAVOR. I didn’t want a sugary, cloying sweet soft drink laced with poison- if I wanted that, I would’ve grabbed a Diet Coke (okay, not really).

Please rethink your decision to continue making this product in this fashion. I want to check out the other flavors, but I’m pretty sure what I’ll find. I’ll probably find I won’t be buying this product again, and telling all my friends not to buy it either.

Thanks for listening to your customers.

Sincerely,

Me. (I signed my real name when I sent this to Stop & Shop)